AVS 46th International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Division Tuesday Sessions
       Session AS-TuA

Paper AS-TuA6
Spatial Resolution in Scanning Auger Microanalysis of Complex Systems

Tuesday, October 26, 1999, 3:40 pm, Room 6A

Session: Modeling in Applied Surface Science
Presenter: A.L. Linsebigler, General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center
Correspondent: Click to Email
Auger electron spectroscopy is one of the primary surface analytical tools in industrial laboratories. The introduction of analytical instrumentation with field emission sources has expanded the capabilities of Auger analysis to include sub-micron phase and particle identification. The spatial resolution of scanning Auger microanalysis is always in question, especially for complex samples such as alloys and multi-component systems. The primary beam size, the primary beam voltage, and the material under investigation are some of the variables which limit the spatial resolution of Auger electron spectroscopy. This study examines the interfacial resolution of metal films with atomic number differences ranging from delta Z = 6 to 65 as a function of primary beam voltage. The interfacial resolution of practical samples such as intermetallic/metal and oxide/metal combinations are also examined. The experimental results will be compared to predictions made by Monte Carlo simulations of electron - solid interactions.